So This is the Afterlife?
by TheAlleyCat18
Summary: It felt like any other day, just hanging with my friends. Who knew my day would end so tragically. Now here I am alive again and right now I really wish I had stayed dead. The world of ninjas, war, and bloodshed is not for me. But maybe with my knowledge, I can stop the war. Or will my meddling make everything worse? A self-insert (SI). Rating may change. Eventual Gaara/OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, just my OC's

* * *

_Everything had started out normally. You know, going out with friends and the works. The day felt just like any other day. Who knew it would end so tragically._

* * *

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was just past eleven and my friend was still nowhere to be found. I couldn't blame him though, he had to pick someone else up along the way so I can't really yell at him for punctuality. Most of the time he arrives too early and ends up waiting for me but those are just minor details.

I go over to my couch and plop down, making my dog lift her sleepy head to see what had caused the noise. She gives me a sleepy look then lays her head back down on her paws. I let out a sigh. I was so bored, school has been done for a week and I wish I were back. There is nothing to do and I would rather have hour long lectures than sit and be bored. Yeah yeah, call me crazy but I actually liked some of my teachers. But this would be my last summer of high school. I'm going to be a senior and then it's off to college.

That's when I heard the sound of a car coming up my driveway. Finally! Now I have something to distract me from the boredom! I jump from the couch and go to grab my purse that I put on a table situated next to the couch. I open it up and search for my house keys so that when I leave I can lock the door. Pulling out the keys, I open my door and was blasted by the Florida heat and humidity. God I hate Florida. Too damn hot!

I lock up the door and race to my friends car. His head is bowed and I can see his shoulders shaking as if he were laughing while my other male companion has the biggest smirk on his face. I slide into the car and shut the door, taking out my phone and texting my mother that I was with my friends and that I love her. She replies almost instantly with a simple 'luv u too' and I put my phone back in my purse.

"So, where to now driver?" I ask with a smile on my face

"Wherever you want me to go! I have no plans, you are the leader!" he replies

"How about the comic book shop that just opened up?" I ask

Both friends nod their head and we pull out of my driveway.

For the whole car ride, the three of us bickered, laughed, and fought over what song to play next on the stereo.

Everything was normal.

Everything was fine.

Traffic was light, people weren't being complete assholes on the road and we were talking about plans for the summer.

"So Super Con is in a month, what cosplays do you guys wanna do?" I asked

"Maybe we can do something from an anime?" was one response

"Guys, you both know I don't cosplay right?" was the other

I pout and say

"But it's fun! You get to be someone awesome for a weekend and everyone wants to take pictures with you!"

"Still not gonna do it" he said as he slowed down to stop at a red light.

We all lapsed into silence as we waited for the light to change. The store was just past this light and inside a plaza on the left. We were so close.

The light turned green.

The car lurched forward, slowly accelerating from its idle position. We were halfway through the light when we heard the sound.

It was a loud screech of tires and my head whipped around to locate the origin of the sound. What I saw was an eighteen wheeler coming for us. The first thought that came to mind was that this was happening too fast. This wasn't like the movies. There was no dramatic slow down of everything. I couldn't see everything in perfect detail and I most certainly didn't see my life flash before my eyes. All I remember was hoping we would be that lucky story you hear about in the news; an almost collision but everyone came out alive and well.

We weren't that lucky.

The impact could be felt throughout the entire car. One moment I see the truck coming towards us, and the next, the three of us are screaming and flying—or at least it feels like we were flying. I get that sensation of weightlessness before the world comes crashing down and I black out for the first time.

Next time I was conscious, the car was still in motion but it was ramming into something solid. I could feel the glass from the shattered windows pierce my skin but I couldn't register the pain. The car jerks a bit more before it comes to a standstill but that wasn't the end. No, that was far from the end. The next thing I register is a loud horn blaring and the feel of another heavy object ramming into the car. Then, darkness.

* * *

When I woke up again, I was aware of the pain and the heat. I looked around with bleary eyes trying to assess the damage but I couldn't focus. My mind could only register one thing at a time and right now that was the pain. I tried to move but I couldn't. There was something stopping me and it wasn't the agony caused by my injuries. My eyes shifted to find the source of my confinement and I saw large pieces of something jutting out all over the place. They gleamed in the light. Maybe it was metal? Yeah that could be it.

There was a rather large piece that originated from the front window and connected to the passenger's seat. Hadn't I been sitting in the passenger's seat? My eyes traveled the rest of the way down the metal rod. The end was covered in a red liquid...blood? I raise a hand and touch my stomach. The blood was mine. The metal rod had impaled me. I turned my head to see my friends. They didn't have rods in them but they weren't conscious. They'd be easier to save this way. I blacked out again.

* * *

I was awakened by the sound of sirens and metal groaning. Bleary eyes looked for the source of the sounds but could only make out flames and shadows. Shadows of people running around, carrying large objects and flexible tubes. My head lolled and I noticed my friends were no longer in the car. They were saved. I smiled. Flames licked at my skin but I couldn't feel their burn. The only thing I registered at the moment was a strange numbness in my extremities. My eyes closed again and my head slumped forward.

Was it always this hard to lift my head?

Had it always been this heavy?

I don't remember. That's when I heard another groan of metal then the sound of something being ripped. I lift my head and open my eyes to see what had happened. My door had been ripped open and there was a person coming for me. I heard the person gasp at the sight of me. Was I really that bad? I mean the metal rod was pretty large, probably the width of a frisbee but the thickness of the last two Harry Potter books but I couldn't be that bad right?

That's when I noticed that the person was talking. He was saying something that sounded urgent but I couldn't process it. Maybe he was asking if I was ok. I should try to understand what he wants. My eyes shut and I listened closely to the person talking. That seemed to make his voice raise in pitch and the tone of urgency became more pronounced; it was almost annoying but I listened anyways. I made out three things the man said

"I'm going to get you out of here."

"Come on! Stay with me!"

"Can you talk? Tell me something thing, anything. Your name! Just hold on!"

I wanted to laugh at his last statement though. He wanted to know my name! I would give it to him then! Licking my lips in preparation, I take a breath only to start choking on a liquid. It tasted metallic.

Blood.

My blood.

Hadn't I had this realization before? I had.

I start choking again and that causes the metal pole thing to move; causing pain to wrack through my body and I let out a gurgled scream. The man's panicked voice starts going higher in pitch and I can see the edges of my already blurred vision fade into blackness. There was a sickening, wet 'pop' of something and my stomach felt lighter. I felt my body being lifted and transported from the car onto a softer surface.

People were yelling and screaming. Sirens were blaring and the man just continued to tell me to hold on. He told me to stay awake and that we were almost there. Where he was talking about I wasn't sure. I just knew I wasn't going to stay awake to find out. My body was too sore and breathing became so much harder because of all the blood in my lungs. My eyes fluttered and my breathing shallowed. I was so tired. I'm just gonna sleep now. That sounds so nice; sleep. Yup, I'm gonna sleep and then I'll wake up.

Thump, thump, thump, thump

Thump...thump...thump…

Thump...thump…

Thump…

Thu...mp…

...

And just like that, I was gone.

Everything had started out normally. You know, going out with friends and the works. The day felt just like any other day. Who knew it would end so tragically.

* * *

**So here is the prologue of the rewrite, it's pretty much the same just a few changes. Though the rest of the chapters will have some major changes and I will be adding new chapters in between to make the story flow a bit better. It's still gonna take the same path and have some of the original content, it's just getting cosmetic surgery. **

**So thank you to all who have patiently waited for this and I'm sorry it took so long, I've finally got my groove back. To those of you who are new to this story, welcome and I hope you enjoy!**

**Now time for my normal barrage of questions.**

**What do you think of the beginning? Most stories don't go into how the main character dies before they reincarnate so was this a good intro to this story? I know it's just the prologue but what do you expect from this story and the main character based off of this intro? **

**Will the questions ever run out? **

**The world may never know.**

**So thank you to all my lovely readers who have put up with my hiatus and welcome new readers to my story! Please Follow, Favorite, or Review!**

**Reviews are food for my soul!**

**Thanks a Bunch**

**-TheAlleyCat**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, just my OC's

* * *

My first thought when I came to was 'where am I?' I had no idea where I was but it looked like an abyss. It was dark, seemingly endless, and empty.

How long had I been here?

How did I get here?

Will I ever get out?

Then I remembered

I...died…

I looked around the abyss and thought 'So _this_ is the Afterlife?' Well this is comforting. There is literally nothing here and I have no idea how to leave. Being dead is boring and the only thing I can do is think. I don't even know where I begin or end or if I even have a beginning or ending. Do I have a body? Or am I just a ball of energy with residual thoughts?

Seriously, looking back on all of those stories and fanfictions I've read, people always say that there's a light or some form of feeling or some form of _something_ that tells them where they are or what's happening to them. I have nothing. No body to speak of, no exterior stimulation, no way of knowing anything other than what has already been stored in my memory. This terrifies me. How can there be nothing yet my conscious is still here? I miss being alive. I miss so many things about my life but what I miss the most is the fact that there was always _something_. It didn't matter what it was but there was always something that let me know I existed. In here, I don't have that. I just have these 'memories' or what I think are memories of my life.

Wait…

Did I even live?

I lived...I know I lived...I had a life...I need to stop second guessing myself. Calm down. there is no need for an afterlife crisis. I lived, I died, end of story. I existed at one point in time and now I'm waiting to see if something—_anything_—happens. So I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait…

And _wait_….

_And wait…_

Gah! What the hell! Can't there be _something_ already! Sheesh! Isn't there supposed to be a god or grim reaper or some form of otherworldly being that's supposed to tell my soul where to go? Seriously! All those damned fanfictions are freaking wrong! Wait...why would I actually believe what people on fanfiction wrote about the afterlife? Oh I know, because anything they wrote is better than this infernal _nothingness_! Damn I'm going stir crazy! Please if there is any form of otherworldly entity of the afterlife, take me anywhere away from this abyss! Please! I'm begging here!

_And…_

NOTHING

Absolutely fucking nothing!

Why? Please tell me why? Is this hell? If it is, let me tell you Lucifer you are doing a marvelous job of torturing me. Who needs fire when you're own mind will be the torture?

...Damn…

I thought praising the devil would earn some brownie points to get me out of here. Ugh! This is worse than death and I should know! I died! Sigh, what am I supposed to do now? How can I do anything now when there is literally nothing here for me and I don't even know if '_I'_ exist anymore. Why is everything so complicated? Maybe I should just...not think…

…

…

…

This isn't working! Please I'm begging anyone who will listen to me! Just make something happen! I can't take this anymore! I would be crying if I could! So please do _something_!

…

..._thump_…

...

Wait what was that?

...

..._thump_..._thump_…

...

Is that what I think it is?

…

_thump_..._thump_..._thump_…

…

Oh it is! It is! It's a heart beat! Hallelujah it's a heart beat! Oh happy days oh happy days it's a heart beat! I can't believe it! I don't even care if it's mine or not but it's a mother trucking heart beat! I'm gonna cry I'm so happy. All I do now is listen to the beautiful sound of the heart beat.

_thump...thump...thump…_

_thump...thump...thump..thump…_

_thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump…_

Gah I'm so happy and by the sound of it, it's getting stronger as time continues. I wonder what it means...maybe it's mine...could be but I don't know for sure. All I know is that I'm over the moon at the fact that there is now _something_! I don't know who heard my plea but thank you! Thank you so much, I can't even begin to describe the happiness I feel at the moment.

For the next who knows how long I just listened to the beautiful sound the heart and imagined I closed my eyes. I pretend that I have my body and imagine laying down, hair sprawled, eyes closed, listening to the soothing tune of the heart hammering before me. This is nice. I could do this for a while.

I don't know when things really started to change in this eternal dark abyss after the heart made itself present, but all I know was that soon after its first beat, everything started to change—_fast_.

At first it was nothing, just the heart. Then things started getting...cramped...yeah I know, how can it get cramped when you don't have a body? Let me assure you, it was getting cramped and I was becoming _very_ claustrophobic. I didn't like it one bit but still, it was better than what it was before. I don't know how long this went on but things changed too quickly for my liking and in a very traumatic way.

The abyss started collapsing in on itself and started violently _shoving_ me. I couldn't fathom how or why but it was terrifying! My entire being, body, entity, or whatever you want to call it was being shoved by invisible black walls. The feeling of being strangled was there too. The darkness that once simply surrounded me now encompassed my whole self and shoved me into who knows where. It also felt like there was something around where my neck should be. It was so uncomfortable and painful I wanted to scream.

That's when the lights came back on.

It went from being completely dark to bright in a matter of nanoseconds. I didn't even know my eyes were open until I shut them closed. It was too bright and it _hurt_ like a son of a gun! Tell me again why I liked the light when I was alive? It's way to freaking painful! Gah make it stop, make it stop, make it stop! Please it hurts!

Then I heard a muffled voice. I couldn't register anything it said. It was just a voice that was saying something but I couldn't understand. I wanted to scream that it hurt but something was choking me. I wanted to claw off the thing that prevented me from screaming but I didn't even know if I had hands or if I could use them if I had them. Then the pressure around my neck was released and I screamed.

I screamed

And I screamed

And I _screamed_

Let me tell you how good it feels to scream. It feels really good. It's having all of this pent up energy—be it rage, excitement, or grief—and just releasing it with a simple action. All of that stress just gone. It was nice. That's when other sensations began to invade my mind. The first one was the feeling of being hoisted in the air none too gently.

It was like being on a roller coaster like The Hulk where you go from zero for forty in like two seconds with a huge jerk. Yeah it wasn't pleasant and it stopped my screams because of its suddenness. In the place of my scream, a gurgling sound erupted that didn't even sound human. It was weird and...cue the nausea! Oh I feel like I'm about to hurl! I'm gonna hurl! And now the feelings past and it's cold, so very cold! I start shivering and crying again. I need a blanket please.

I tried opening my eyes again to try and find someone so I could ask them if they had something warm but the light hurt still. Not as bad but still painful. I blink hoping that it would make the pain a bit better and help me accustom myself to the light and it worked a little. It wasn't as bad now and I could start to make out colors and shapes. The room I was in was mostly white with a few large spots of dark colors. I tried looking for a person but all I saw were blobs of color. Some were moving so I guessed those were people. I tried calling out to ask for a blanket of some sort but all that came out of my mouth was a wail.

Damn. I'd hoped my speech wouldn't be so bad. That's when I took notice of how large the blobs were. They were freaking huge man! Like, the size of giants! How could they be so large? I mean I was short in life but not _that_ short. What am I the size of an infant?

Wait…

Am I…

Am I really the size of a baby? But how...oh...yeah...I _died_...this makes sense. This makes perfect sense. I mean everything adds up now and yeah...I'm a baby...great. Maybe this life won't be so bad. Maybe this will be an amazing adventure! Yeah let's go with that but first someone get me a damned blanket!

Some god must have had pity on me and thankfully made one of the giant people wrap me in a very thick, very warm, and very soft blanket. I'm happy now. Thank you overly large adults! I can now cease my screams of bloody murder or should I say bloody birth? Yeah let's not dwell on the fact that I was brutally ejected from some woman's vagina and covered in...yeah I'm not going to continue this train of thought, _moving on now_!

The giants finally decided to be gentle with the way they handled me and started passing me around the room. I heard what I thought was cooing and baby talk from the adults and then I was passed into what I thought were _very_ strong arms. This giant seemed familiar in a way that I couldn't place. My eyesight had improved slightly and if this giant brought me closer I could probably make out some of their features.

Thankfully the giant did just that. They pulled me close to their face and I tried to focus my blurry baby eyes on them and I learned that this giant was male. His hair was dark brown and seemed to defy gravity; spiking all over the place in every which way. His eyes matched the color of his hair and I noticed a slight color distortion on his cheek. I focused my eyes there and I decided that it was a scar that ran across his cheek. He was also smiling. Had I been older I probably would have blushed. He was pretty good looking so whoever scored him is lucky.

He also started talking to me.

"_Anata ga kawaīdesu yo!_" (1)

What?

"_Watashi wa anata no tou-sama desu_" (2)

Come again please. I didn't understand you. Please speak English for the rest of the class to follow.

"_Boku ga kimi wo mamotte ageru._" (3)

And you have completely lost me mister. I don't understand a thing and if you're trying to tell me something important then you're out of luck because I don't understand.

I just blink at him with a clueless expression and he smiles like someone just promised him the world. Who is this guy? Could he be my dad? Maybe but first things first, what the hell is on your head mister? It looks pretty shiny and rectangular with one spot that looks duller than the rest of it.

I pull my arms free of the blanket and reach up to try and grab the shiny thing on this man's head. I wonder what it could be. Some sort of bandana maybe? He pulls me closer smiling even more and talking excitedly. His face is no more than six inches from mine and the shiny object is clear as day. It's a headband. More specifically,

It's a _hitai-ate_.

It's a hitai-ate with four _very_ familiar squiggles.

It's the hitai-ate that shinobi of _Kirigakure_ wear proudly into battle.

Why in the hell is my supposed new father wearing a freaking hitai-ate from an anime? Is he some sort of extreme cosplayer or something? Please tell me that the gods don't hate me and this is just some fanatical man that takes cosplaying to the next level. Please tell me I'm not in the only village in shinobi history that requires a child to kill their entire class just to become a _genin_. Please, please, _please_, don't let this man be an actual shinobi.

It's ok, calm down and take a deep breath. Now in order to see if this thing is real, I need to touch it. Now here is how this is gonna go down: I'm going to lift my little baby arms and you're going to let me touch the headband. Got it? Good. Now here we go.

I raise my arms and start making the 'grabby hands' at the headband and the man chuckled. He seemed almost pleased with my response. This is good, now closer...closer...just a bit more...and...got it! My hands glided over the cold metal and I could tell this was no cheap ten dollar con headband. No. This was heavy duty 'I've seen years of bloodshed' metal with dents and scratches littering it. This was real.

I'm going to die.

You know how I respond to this? I start laughing. Yes you heard me; _laughing_. I've just been brutally ejected from some woman's uterus—whom I still haven't met mind you—passed around like a hot potato, and learning that the man who is maybe my father is a freaking _shinobi_ which only exists in an anime that I watched religiously in my old life. So yeah, hysterical laughter is appropriate I think.

The man beams happily at me and looks to the side and starts talking. He looks like he's talking to another person that's not me. I wonder who it could be...I turn my head to look in the direction he's looking at and I see a bed with another blob on it. That must be my mother. Then the man shifts and the roller coaster begins again. I lurch and I'm passed to the person's arms. This set of arms is much softer than the man's.

I'm pulled closer and I get the confirmation that this person is a woman and probably my new mother. I'm close enough to be able to make out her features. She has black hair that was plastered to her face with sweat and such pretty violet eyes. Damn her eyes are gorgeous. I hope I have those eyes. That would be awesome. Then she gives me a tired smile and kisses my forehead. It's a nice feeling and I close my eyes. This is so much better than the infernal dark abyss that I resided in for who knows how long. Maybe, _just maybe_, I could live my life in a nonviolent, carefree way that doesn't involve me becoming a child soldier and maybe facing one of the four great ninja wars. Yeah...I'm not that lucky.

* * *

**1\. You're so cute**

**2\. I am you're father**

**3\. I will protect you**

**Translations by Google Translate (aka not the best translator but good in a pinch)**

**So here is the official chapter 1 rewrite! Woot woot. **

**I'm taking the slow approach to this fic so I can properly introduce characters and give proper character development. **

**Now it's time for questions!**

**What do you think of this form of the afterlife? What can you tell about the main character from this? Do you think she's cut out for this ninja world? Why do you think I chose her home village to be Kiri? To those who have read this before, what do you think of the changes? Is this better than before? **

**Will my questions ever cease?**

**The world may never know.**

**Please Follow, Favorite, or Review! **

**Reviews are food for my soul!**

**Thanks a Bunch!**

**-TheAlleyCat**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, only my OC's

* * *

I don't really know what happened during the first four years of my life. One moment I was fully aware of my death and rebirth, the next, I'm thinking about nothing. It was strange. I knew I alive and functioning but I wasn't really aware of myself. I guess it's similar to the cliché of being a stranger in my own body yet it wasn't exactly like that. It was more of I couldn't comprehend my thoughts and actions. My thoughts were too advanced for my new brain so I guess my older conscious was shoved into the back of my head until I could handle it. That means I didn't have to suffer through the whole 'I'm thinking in English and trying to understand this new language'; I just learned like a normal baby.

Sometimes I would have that spark of awareness but that was rare and fleeting. So yeah, about four years have passed in this new life and I can't remember anything worth a damn about those years. Now I have a bit more awareness to my situation. I can think 'normally' again. Well as normal as a reincarnated four year old can think. But right now isn't a good time. Kaa-chan is out on a mission again...sigh.

What kind of parent leaves their four year old with a bunch of stupid genin? Ninja parents, I guess. I wonder when she's gonna come back. Tou-chan should be home from his mission soon as well. Why did they _both_ have to go and leave me with these dimwits that call themselves genin? And their sensei is no better! He just let's them do as they please with me and that usually means that I'm dressed up in these ridiculously girly outfits and have bows shoved onto my head. I wish I could shove all of them in these clothes and see how they feel!

"Ne ne, don't you look cute Kazehana-chan! Just like a little doll!" the female genin, who goes by the name of Haruka, coos

"I look stupid…" I grumble at her

I hate this so much. I vow to gain my vengeance and Haruka, you will rue the day you decided to make me 'cute'. Just mark my words, it will happen.

"Ma, little Kaze-chan has a scary face on." one of the male genin, Riku, taunts

My glare to these insufferable genin could rival my Kaa-chan's, or at least I hope so. She can be so scary, it's awesome.

"Enough you three, how you care for her will determine your pay. In fact, she holds your money in her hands and if you keep taunting her she can make it so you get paid less than agreed or you won't get paid at all." Their sensei chimes

The look on those three brats was absolutely beautiful. It was a mix of shock, fear, worry, and anger. I couldn't help but cackle at their faces. Oh this is too good, I am their new master! Muwahahahahaha!

"That's such a scary face Kaze-chan." Sensei says with an amused chuckle

The three brats look to me and gulp, knowing they did all those things to me because they thought this would be an easy mission. Sorry guys, in Kiri, there are no easy missions. I should know, Tou-chan complains about that constantly.

"Ne, you won't be that mean to us right Kaze-chan?" the third brat, Takeji, pleads

I smirk and at them and keep my mouth closed. They are putty in my hands and it is great. All powerful Kiri genin cowering before a four year old!

"With a face like that Kaze-chan, I fear the day you get put into the academy. Either you're going to rise to the top or you're going to get a reality check with that temperament of yours. Knowing that you're Kazuhiko's kid probably means that you're going to be a force to be reckoned with." the unnamed genin sensei tells me.

I shrug, not actually planning to go into the academy. Sure, my parents were both shinobi but they should be able to respect my hesitance towards becoming a shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato. At least I _hope_ so. Ugh this would suck if they force me to become a ninja here. I don't want to be a ninja in a village where even your best friend will turn into your worst enemy because of some small, insignificant piece of info. It could literally be that you don't like the color yellow and now your best friend is on high alert and waiting for you to make a move so they have a reason to kill you.

Ok, maybe it's not _that_ insignificant a detail but seriously, Kiri shinobi are bloodthirsty.

"Ne, shinobi-san, do you know when my tou-san and kaa-san will be back?" I ask, wanting to know how much longer these nitwits will be watching me.

"Kazuhiko-san should be here within an hour or so but your kaa-san will be gone for a little while longer." came the reply

I nod and go to my room.

I have an hour to kill. What should I do? Should I read a book, draw, stare at the ceiling? Hm… let's go with writing in my journal. I have a secret journal where I write in English; it helps with future planning and reminding me of everything that I have learned so far in this new life. But I have to be careful and keep it hidden because there is no actual way to explain how I'm writing like this to my parents.

Opening the book, I read my first true cognitive thought since my rebirth.

_I'm alive. _

_I don't know how or why but I am. I have no idea where to begin with my thoughts on this new life but I'll start with this; I'm fucked. _

_Not a nice thought but it's a thought. Let's see… now what else… oh my new name is Kazehana. My mother is Kazumi and my father is Kazuhiko. Our last name is Kazeshini and I feel like my parents really have a thing for 'Kaz' since it's literally in all of our names. I live in Kirigakure no Sato and if I become a ninja, I'm going to die. _

I laugh at my thoughts and turn the journal to a blank page. I don't have many pages written mostly because I rarely have time to write since I'm almost always being watched. Plus writing in English would just tip off any ninja and either put me in the 'prodigy' category or the 'threat' category. Both of which are horrible outcomes. Shaking my head I write a short entry

_My dad is due within the hour. I'm not liking this genin team but I don't have to deal with them for much longer. I also note that the weird sensation has come back. I don't know if it's chakra but it's weird. It's almost like something is being pulled into me. Though it isn't as bad since my father gave me the necklace for my birthday._

I end the entry there and hide my journal before the genin brats come into my room. Would it kill them to leave me alone? I'm so giving them a bad review, apparently privacy is not a thing with these kids. Maybe it's just my adult mindset but I like my 'me' time. I wonder how their sensei deals with them or how they even passed. Are their annoying personalities actually a cover? Meh, it's Kiri so anything goes.

The brats then barge into my room and bring me back to the living room. A scowl is plastered on my face. Why oh why are these kids so freaking annoying?

"Ne ne Kaze-chan! Aren't you excited for your tou-chan to be coming home?" Haruka squeals hoping the scowl will leave my face

"I'm overjoyed, can't you tell?" I ask sarcastically with my scowl still present

Haruka pouts and goes on and on about how I act like an old lady and how I should embrace my childhood. Blah fucking blah, go get stabbed with a kunai. No one wants to hear your complaining brat now leave me alone.

The next hour passes by slowly. These damned genin don't seem to understand my glares and the fact that I want to be left alone. By the time my father walked through the door, my eye was twitching so badly that if this actually was an anime, I would probably have pounded my head into the nearest wall, table, or other hard object to signify my annoyance. Sure to an outsider this might have been funny but I was thoroughly annoyed. Had I had some freaky power, kekkei genkai, or ability, I would have used it on these genin. Hell, I wish I was Gaara right now so I could sand coffin these morons.

When my father walked through the door, I slowly made my way over to him. Once I got to him, I held my arms up, signaling to be lifted, and very darkly I whisper

"End them. End them all."

Now most parents would be worried about having their kid ask them to kill other kids. Not mine. No, they are the weirdos who play along.

"Now now Kaze-chan, why would you want that?" my father asks with a grin

"They are annoying. No one should have to put up with them. The only solution I see is to end them." I grumble

My father just chuckles and motions for the team to leave. He gives the money to their sensei and I'm whisked off to the living room. My father looks over me, checking to see how much I've changed in the time he's been gone. I look over him to see if he has anymore scars on him or any visible signs of injury. Both of us look good and we smile at each other.

"Kazehana-chan, have you taken off your necklace at all since I've been gone?" my dad asks out of the blue

I shake my head and he frowns, glancing at the necklace around my neck. It's a simple necklace that has what looks to be two white pearls a light blue seaglass bead in between them laced through a dark brown leather cord. I wonder if it does anything…

"This isn't good… " my father mumbles softly; I almost don't even catch what he says

That's when I notice how tired he looks. I mean he always looks exhausted after a mission but this is something else. He seems like he's hiding something and his secrets are coming to light. This isn't going to end well. Especially here in Kiri; secrets in this village will get you slaughtered.

"Tou-chan" I begin "go take a shower then head to bed. You don't look good and I need you in top condition to be able to cook."

I try and joke to pull him out of this funk and it seems to work but I know that the issue is still there. I just didn't know how bad it was and how it was going to change my life so drastically so soon.

* * *

Weeks pass.

My mother is home but the same look of exhaustion plagues her eyes. Each day, it gets worse. My parents always seem to be looking over their shoulder and checking the necklace chained around my neck. They never told me what it's for but it seems to be one of the major components to the issue at hand. I also notice that they have been sending and receiving letter from unknown people.

The letters don't seem like much at a glance but from what I can gather, my parents shouldn't be communicating with these people. It's not because the people in the letter are bad, it's because if my parents are caught, they will be murdered. The only thing I know about the the letters are that they are from two different people and one of them is from Konoha.

If you don't really know much about the Naruto world then just know that Kirigakure hates Konohagakure. So the fact that my parents are secretly messaging someone from there means that shit is about to hit the fan.

I also take into account that the number of missions my parents are taking have drastically decreased. They were home almost everyday now. That would make a normal kid happy but with the tense atmosphere growing each day, I couldn't help but be worried over what would unfold. My parents had also stopped their outings with me; they stayed inside the house until they just had to leave for food or other supplies. Even when they left, one would stay home to watch me. I haven't left the house in what seemed like forever.

The air was slowly becoming still; to the point it became suffocating. Yet I still hadn't pestered my parents as to what was going on. I almost feel like a person stranded in the middle of the ocean. The water still just before something happens. In this case, an attack from right below the surface.

* * *

It was the middle of the night just after my fifth birthday. I couldn't fall asleep but that's how it's been for the past month. Sleep has been hard to come by since everything has become so tense, as if a single breath would set off a bomb. And in a sense, a bomb was set off. One moment I'm in bed, trying to shut off my mind, the next my mother storms into my room panicked.

"Kazehana get up! We need to go quickly!" she hisses

Flinging the covers off of me, I rush over to my mother. She's in my closet packing a few pairs of clothes into a bag. I take it that we're not returning so I should go grab my journal and shove it into the bag my mother is packing for me.

"Kaa-san I think this is enough." I whisper as I pull on her pant leg

"Alright, now when we leave the house, don't make a sound. We need to leave the village. Your father should be at the rendezvous point waiting for us."

She slings the pack over her arm and picks me up, rushing silently to the door. Once we leave, the air changes. It becomes suffocating and smothering. I snuggle closer to my mother as she makes a mad dash for the village gates. She's as silent as the night itself yet I can't help but think this is too easy; this is way too easy an escape from the most ruthless village in the elemental nations. As my mother passes the village gates, a sizzle is heard.

BOOM

An explosive goes off, throwing my mother and I foreword. The heat from the bomb licks at my skin and I know right now that my chances of survival are dwindling. My mother isn't phased by the bomb and continues running to the rendezvous point to meet my father. At least I hope the person at the other end is my father. I seriously hope that there isn't a trap waiting at the other end.

I cling to my mother in desperation as she dashes into the forest that surrounds the village. In the back, I can hear the sounds of pursuers. Peeking over my mother's shoulder, I see about seven people chasing after us. I don't know how many are hidden in other areas of the forest, how many are clones, and whether they got to my father yet.

"Kaa-chan, they're gaining on us." I mumble in worry

"Just a bit farther until we reach your father. I can sense him about ten meters from here and it doesn't seem as though our _guests_ know where he is." she replies softly

I try and sense my father like my mother is doing but I don't feel him. It's like he completely hid his chakra. That, or he's dead.

My mother makes a sharp turn to the left and sprints to what seems to be a clearing. Once we pass the threshold, I see that it wasn't a clearing but a shoreline. I don't see anyone here but my mother seems to know something I don't. She uses one of her hands to form a seal and mumbles something under her breath. Then the illusion breaks. A boat in now visible and my father is on it. He looks at my mother and I and gains a very small look of relief in his eyes.

Then a kunai whizzes past my head and my father jumps from his place on the boat and deflects it. I'm then shoved into my father's arms along with my pack while my mother gets into a fighting stance. The seven pursuers from before have caught up and my mother shouts

"Kazuhiko! Take Kazehana and run. Run and don't look back."

"But Kazumi-"

"Listen to me and run. Don't let Kazehana grow up alone. She needs one of us to be there for her and right now that person is going to be you." she smiles, tears rolling down her face

My father's face contorts in pain. He doesn't want to leave my mother but he has to if he wants to save me.

"Kazehana, listen to me. Make sure you grow up to be strong just like me ok?" my mother says while her hand rests on my cheek

"Hai kaa-chan." I sniff

"Don't forget how much I love you." she whispers as she places a kiss on my head

"I love you too kaa-chan." I choke out

"I need to take care of these people so that means I probably won't be able to see you again. But don't worry, you have your tou-san. Listen to him and be a good girl."

My mother turns around and continues to fight the ninja's that were following us. I yell for her to come back but my father shushes me.

"Listen Kaze-chan, your Kaa-chan had to fight so that those people can't get you. She wants to fight to save you. We have to go now, but always remember that your Kaa-chan loves you very much." he says with tears streaming down his face.

My father shoves the boat into the water and tries to gain some distance from the shoreline. Two ninja get passed my mother and head straight for us. I panic and curl into a ball while my father goes through a series of hand signs. When he finishes, he slams his hands down on the boat and a giant wave forms. The wave smashes into the two ninja and pushes us further out to sea. My father continues to use water jutsu until the shore fades below the horizon and all I can see in my mind's eye is my mother's body lying on the sand, staining it crimson.

* * *

**Here is the next installment of So This is the Afterlife? the rewrite. It veers off the path of the original one and goes a bit more in depth of the Kazehana's situation in Kiri. **

**Now onto my normal barrage of questions!**

**What do you think of the situation Kazehana was in while in Kiri? What do you think is the purpose of Kaze's necklace and what do you think it does? Who do you think the letters are from? One is from Konoha but who do you think the other is from? What do you think were in the letters? What secrets is Kaze's father keeping from her? Why do you think Kaze was forced to flee Kiri? Will I ever run out of questions?**

**The world may never know...**

**But thank you all who have stuck with this story and have put up with my hiatus and need to re-vamp this story. I hope the changes I'm making are better and more exciting!**

**Thanks again to all of you who have Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed. It means the world to me that you like my work!**

**If you wanna make me the happiest person in the world, please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story! If you're new to it, let me know what you think so far. If you've been with me from the beginning, let me know whether the changes I've made are worth the hiatus or if you liked the original better. **

**So please continue to Favorite, Follow, and Review! **

**Thanks a Bunch!**

**-TheAlleyCat**


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